Indiana University to begin review of sex misconduct cases

Published
5:54 am EST, Tuesday, February 16, 2016

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP) — Indiana University plans to begin reviewing 18 sexual misconduct cases this week, following allegations that the school's associate dean of students sexually assaulted a woman at a December conference.

In an open letter published Feb. 4, Jill Creighton accused Jason Casares (cuh-SAR-ess) of sexually assaulting her in December at a conference in Fort Worth, Texas. Creighton is the assistant director of global community standards at New York University and a board member of the Association for Student Conduct Administration.

Casares, who is also the school's deputy Title IX coordinator, was placed on administrative leave immediately after Creighton published the letter. He has denied the allegations.

University Provost Lauren Robel has requested a review of all sexual misconduct cases from the past academic year that went to hearings with Casares on the hearing panel. The Herald-Times (http://bit.ly/1Qie2d7 ) reports the reviews are set to begin this week.

The university and Fort Worth police have said they are conducting their own investigations of the allegations against Casares. No charges had been filed.

After Creighton filed a complaint with the Association for Student Conduct Administration, of which Casares is also a member, it hired a private investigator. The firm determined her claims couldn't be substantiated.

Meanwhile, Provost Lauren Robel requested a review of all sexual misconduct cases from the past academic year, which went to hearings where Casares sat on the hearing panel.

Julia Lamber, professor emerita of law at IU's Maurer School of Law, will conduct the reviews, using the existing case file and panel hearing materials, university spokesman Mark Land said in an email.

Cases will only be reinvestigated if Lamber's review determines that it's necessary, he said. There's no timetable for when reviews will be completed.